enslave

verb

en·​slave in-ˈslāv 

en-

enslaved; enslaving; enslaves

transitive verb

: to force into or as if into slavery : subjugate

The building holds bronze statues of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, who were born, and enslaved, on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

—Evan Osnos

It has long been known that Nordic warriors established outposts more than a millennium ago on Poland's Baltic coast, enslaving indigenous Slavic peoples to supply a booming slave trade, as well trading in salt, amber and other commodities.

—Andrew Higgins

This oddly contradictory view of artificial intelligence is somehow a perfect symbol of AI's place in our imaginations at this moment in history—something that will eliminate countless jobs, a boost for creativity, an end to drudgery, or perhaps a monstrous force that will take over our planet and enslave humanity.

—Minda Zetlin

enslavement

in-ˈslāv-mənt 

en-

noun

plural enslavements

… the continued enslavement of millions of human beings after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.

—Juan Cole

sexual/economic enslavement

Examples of enslave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Like his father, Lucius is enslaved and forced to fight as a gladiator for the entertainment of a wealthy Roman emperor and hordes of bloodthirsty spectators. —Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week Us, theweek, 8 Nov. 2024

This week, racist text messages are being sent to Black Americans, telling them they are selected to be enslaved and assigned to pick cotton on a plantation. —Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2024

At the time, hundreds of thousands of people were enslaved across the South, amounting to about 40% of the Southern population. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024

An estimated 90 percent of the children were enslaved. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

enslave

verb

en·​slave in-ˈslāv 

: to force into slavery

enslavement

-mənt 

noun

enslaver noun